As he faces a Columbus theater full of people, John Edward hopes to provide comfort for a few
troubled souls.

“Life and love are eternal,” the psychic medium said. “To help somebody in their healing
process, giving them the tools of understanding — that would be my hope for anybody sitting in
front of me.”

Edward — known for TV shows on which he tried to perform “readings,” or connecting audience
members with the spirits of friends and relatives who have “crossed over” — will perform tonight at
the Palace Theatre.

His shows — Crossing Over With John Edward (1999-2003 on SyFy) and John Edward: Cross Country
(2006-08 on WEtv) — provide the basis of his live performances nationwide.

He also is a New York Times best-selling author and has appeared on other TV shows, including
Live With Regis and Kelly, The View, Dateline and 20/20.

Edward, 42, lives on his native Long Island, N.Y., with his wife, Sandra, and children, Justin
and Olivia.

According to his online biography, he demonstrated psychic abilities from an early age.

A meeting with psychic Lydia Clar when he was 15 made him more aware of those abilities, and she
forecast that he would spend his life using his skills.

He has had no formal training but credits his success to “lots of researching the field” and
studying with psychic Sandy Anastasi.

Edward began by predicting the future, but personal losses changed the focus of his work.

An uncle’s passing in 1987 compelled him to deal with death and its effects on a
family for the first time.

Eighteen months later, his mother died.

“That was earth-shattering for me, to be quite honest,” he said. “All bets were off. I needed to
know firsthand where she was and needed to communicate with her.

“I wanted to know more.”

In becoming a psychic medium, Edward tried to reach his mother — eventually making contact in
the years after her death through other psychics, he said.

In the process, he began helping others connect with lost loved ones.

“My work shifted because of that, because of my desire,” he said. “And because of my interest, I
attracted more people who wanted to see me.”

Edward said he hopes to positively influence the lives of those he reads.

After a show on Tuesday, he said, a young man approached him to say that a session
with Edward at a 2011 performance had saved his life: Learning through Edward that he had the love
and support of a lost loved one, the young man reversed the downward spiral in which he’d found
himself.

Onstage before a crowd, Edward works to bond with individual audience members. He discusses his
theories on spiritual energy and how he gets his information, tries to connect audience members
with the souls of lost relatives and answers questions from the audience.

“It’s basically psychic improv,” he said.

Edward finds the process easier than performing a one-on-one session.

“I think it’s harder sometimes to do a private reading than a group reading,” he said.

“The expectation factor kind of accelerates as soon as they walk into your office . . . as
opposed to walking into an audience; you become one of many who might get picked.”